It's officially NaNoWriMo time. Since 2018, I've been taking on the challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November pretty consistently. I even won for three years in a row (2018-2020). It's fun and admittedly quite tiring. While I am proud of the writing that I have done in the past several Novembers, I am not sure that binge writing is the best way to accomplish my long-term goals. But one has to start somewhere, right? 

The website for NaNoWriMo (which stands for National Novel Writing Month), awards badges throughout month as you unlock achievements. You also have the option to award some to yourself. One that I like to choose each year describes what sort of prep work I have done. There are three options: planner, pantser, or plantser. According to NaNoWriMo.org, these are the definitions of each:

1. Planner: You believe in rigorous preparation. On November 1, you'll have an outline--or at least lots of helpful notes.
2. Pantser: You believe in hardcore spontaneity. On November 1, you'll have a blank document and your imagination. 
3. Plantser: You believe in the best of both worlds. On November 1, you'll start with a comfortable mix of improvisation and loose structure.

I have never considered myself a pantser, at least not for novels. If I don't have a road map or at least some semblance of an outline, my blank screen becomes a daunting and I become paralyzed with indecision.

For certain projects, I am definitely a planner. I was more of a planner when I was younger and would spend countless hours dreaming up character names, drawing character maps, describing character traits, designing world maps, and writing detailed outlines. However, the more comfortable I came with letting my imagination run a little free while writing (and once I realized I would never finish a book if I didn't start writing at some point), I learned to jump in with less planning done ahead of time. 

I am more often than not a self-declared plantser. I need to have a rough outline of the story I want to write, along with a few main characters ready to be explored, but then I let myself discover the story as I write. I have found that I can start writing a first draft with a pretty rough outline and idea of a story, but when it comes to a second draft, or even starting over without completing my first full draft, that is when I head back to the drawing board and really dive into the story and spend time creating more detailed plot synopses, character profiles, and build my world more completely.

That's not to say that I do not do plenty of thinking and research ahead of time to provide myself with inspiration and knowledge to pull from as I write. Especially when it comes to writing about nature. I make notes of the things that I find fascinating and pull from those as needed while I write. When it comes to prepping for NaNoWriMo specifically, I find joy in creating a word count tracker, designing a cover for my project, and maybe even creating a character mood board or two. Examples of some of these designs are shown below.

Overall, I truly am a plantser. The more I delve into my drafts, the more I refine my story notes and world building, but when it comes to getting started, all I need is a bit of imagination and a sketched out map on a coffee-stained napkin.

One of the main reasons I was so excited to move into a house was the chance to create a creative space for myself. While I enjoy writing, I also find joy in making art. I quickly filled the built-in closet of my cape cod office with art supplies. But this post isn't about art, this is about the elements of my writing space, although it is more generally my creative corner.  Today I'd like to share with you the important elements of my special space that help me focus and enjoy whatever project my hands and imagination are building together.

CHAIR: While I do enjoy sitting on the floor when I craft or write, a comfy chair is just as important as an open floor. My sister, who is one of the most important people in my life and who has always been my biggest fan, gave me this chair. So, every time I sit in it, it's like having her with me, cheering me on. The other great thing about this chair is that it I can sit in it like a regular office chair, and it's also wide enough for me to comfortably sit cross-legged. Sometimes, even my cat can squeeze on it with me, too.

STOOL: The stool next to my chair was a gift from another important person in my life: my godmother and aunt who has also become a very dear friend and confidant in adulthood. She brought it back with her from Peru. We have traveled to Costa Rica together, and it reminds me of our shared love of traveling and learning Spanish. It is perfect for setting my computer on when I need to get up or watch a video as I sit on the floor. And of course, it works like any side table to hold research materials or a hot cup of coffee. 

CANDLES: I learned in a writing class once to find a scent that calms you and place it in your writing space so that it can help you associate the smell with writing. A candle is the perfect way to do that. While I do have some favorite scents, really any candle helps me focus on writing. I love the light that candles give off and the flickering flame reminds me of sitting around a campfire. The candles pictured here are special because one has a wooden wick which adds not just a smell to the air, but the sound of wood burning. At times, I can get lost thinking about where my writing should go next and the sputtering crackles of the burning wood help me focus completely on my mental brainstorms. The white candle was a gift from a coworker and friend that she made herself as a Swedish housewarming gift, for the light to bless our home. Now, I have it blessing my writing space as a reminder that I have so many supportive people in my life.

SPEAKER: A good writing session is not complete without a way to play some soothing or motivating music. I rarely write in science, so the speakers are a must have for a productive writing space.

WALLS: When my husband and I moved into our house, we (and friends and family) spent the first week painting almost every single wall of the house. The light green creates a serene room for me to work in, but most importantly, the room was painted by two of my best friends. Every time I take time to gaze at the wall, I'm reminded of them.

DECOR: If it isn't apparent already, I like to surround myself with items that remind me of things that I love. Displayed on the open shelf are my watercolor materials, a new medium that I've been exploring and using to unwind and create without pressure or expectations. The small candle is a memento from a friend's wedding. And while it's hard to see, there is a memento from my own wedding. A name card holder made from polymer clay and stamped with our names and wedding date stands to display the covers of books I'm reading that will be added to my book journal. Since taking this picture, book shelves have been added to my writing alcove and Wisconsin Badger decorations can be found throughout the room.

SUNLIGHT: Last but not least, light is super important. While the little lamp creates a warm glow around the chair at night, the best light shines through the window all day long. Having the sun shine on a notebook or on my arm while I type is one of the most calming components of my writing corner.

Years ago I attended a panel at a science fiction convention that discussed PoC characters in science fiction and fantasy. It was eye opening then as both reader and aspiring writer, and now in light of what has been going on in America since George Floyd's murder, I wanted to share what I learned and how I am trying to do better with what I read and write.

It was my first WisCon, a feminist science fiction convention that is held every year in Madison, Wisconsin. With my convention guide in hand, the notes section already filling up, I listened to a group of panelists discuss what it is like to read and watch things that do not have characters who represent their race, their ethnicity, or their histories, and how when they are represented in stories, it is most often in stereotypical roles. They might be most recognizable in TV and film: the "Magical Negro" or angry black woman (among many others); the geeky Asian man or the "dragon lady"; the Hispanic immigrant or criminal, or sometimes a "Latin Lover"; Arab characters are desert nomads, oil sheiks, or terrorists; and Native Americans are quiet medicine (wo)men or angry warriors. Oftentimes these characters are the villain, a sidekick to a white hero, or are in some way used to raise up a white character. Overall, these stereotypes, even when they are "positive" ones do more harm than good and create one-dimensional characters that do not at all portray the true diversity and humanity of minority groups.

In books, the stereotypical characters are still there. Or worse, minority characters are not there at all. For most fantasy stories at least, the world is based on a medieval European society. It's safe to assume that the characters, at least the humans, are white. The panelists at the convention discussed how they would like these issues fixed. One thing they didn't want was white writers to suddenly try to imagine what it was like to be Black, or Asian, or Latinx in America, but they could watch the stereotypes they put into their stories and try to diversify their cast of characters. Ultimately they called for more diversity in all parts of publishing and media. We need more writers and editors of color. We need to diversify the voices telling stories in order to have real diversity, accuracy, and honesty in what we read and watch.

The other thing that stuck out to me was one panelist saying that she imagines characters who look like herself. She said that even when a character is described one way, her mind doesn't always listen. She creates characters that look like the people she is most often around. I found that very interesting, and it helped me realize something that I could do to help the lack of diversity in my own writing. 

I decided to challenge myself to try two things as a writer:

1. Setting: I began to think critically about the settings I was creating for my stories. My first novel is a fantasy novel, and the world is based on, what do you know, a European society. I realized that I wanted to stop choosing the default fantasy setting. I needed to do more to understand other histories, other societies, and be more creative in the fantasy worlds I created. By doing that, I could actually create a new world with new laws and a diverse society. The beauty of science fiction and fantasy is not being bound by the rules of our own world.
2. Characters: I reflected on my novel again and thought about what my characters looked like in my head. As a teenager, I had focused so much on the hair and eye color of every character and each of those features is described in detail. And they were all white. I decided at WisCon that as much as I could, I would stop describing how characters looked. Of course, sometimes it will be necessary, and if I do want to truly diversify a cast of characters, I may need to describe physical features. Celebrating diversity does not work by being "colorblind." But for most characters, I asked myself why I felt the need to say what color hair someone has or what their eye color is. Why don't I let my readers use their imagination and envision someone who looks like them, a family that looks like theirs? Overall, I wanted myself to think more critically about how I could create characters who are more relatable to more people.

I know I have a lot of growth to do yet on this topic. I am learning more and more each day about the struggles and lack of representation of not just PoC, but of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people with disabilities. I know I have a lot more to learn about how I can honor these groups in my writing without using stereotypes. I also want to do it for the right reasons. I know that I have lived a life of privilege, and trying to write about an experience I will never know isn't a solution. After all, like the panelists said, we don't need white people trying to suddenly write from Black, Asian, Native American, or Latinx perspectives and become their voices. We need those voices to be recognized, heard, and amplified as much as white voices have been for centuries. Which brings me to reading.

This year my reading resolution was to read more books written by women and authors of color. This summer a few friends and I organized a bingo reading competition for ourselves and fellow book-loving friends in order to read more books about systemic racism, feminism, LGBTQIA+ history, and books by and about people of color, transgender and queer individuals, and people with disabilities. It has been at once exciting and heartbreaking to explore works that I usually wouldn't have read. I have no good reason why many of the titles weren't on my to-read list, except that I never took so much time to find stories that offered me a look at so many different worldviews, of different life experiences, or of facing hatred and bigotry. I know that I must continue to listen to these voices, support them, and encourage others to do the same. And I do encourage you to think about what you read and why, about the stereotypes that you observe in literature and film, and I encourage you to help raise awareness about the lack of diversity in the representation of both characters and creators in our media.